How to build a Gold farm

Here we will build a gold farm in Java edition 1.21.5.

This is a farm that will collect gold nuggets for you. This is a simple build that works by building a trap and placing turtle eggs close to a nether portal, which encourages piglins to come out of the nether in to your trap.

Gold is a versatile item in Minecraft that can be used for many things, in both the overworld and the nether,

  • Food - to craft Golden Apples and Carrots.

  • Brewing - make a glistening melon slice which in turn can be used for brewing.

  • Crafting - tools, weapons and armour.

  • Trade - with villagers.

  • Craft - bells and clocks that display current time in game.

  • Craft - powered rails, lightweight pressure plates, netherite items.

  • Decorating - items such as armour.

  • Enchant - items.

  • Create - elytra.

  • Barter - with piglins.

  • Can also be used to power beacons.

This build also produces rotten flesh, which can be used for:

  • Tame, breed and heal - wolves.

  • Trade - with a novice level 'cleric' villager.

  • Food - can be eaten although there is an 80% chance of getting hunger status effect so perhaps only if desperate.

Although a gold farm is the best way to get gold. There are other options for obtaining gold, these include:

  1. Mining - pretty much anywhere in the overworld or the nether.

  2. Trading - with villagers.

  3. Chests - can be found in pretty much any chest anywhere.

  4. Mob drops - mobs will sometimes drop gold when they are killed.

  5. Ruined Portals and ocean monuments - Gold blocks can sometimes be found here.

  6. Bastian remnant - can be found here.

Rotten flesh can also be gotten from:

  1. Mobs.

  2. Most chests

  3. Tamed cats - will also bring you rotten flesh as a gift.

In this section we will discuss the materials and the ingredients that we need to make this build. This will give a concise list of the items and the recipe's to make them.

Chest

Hopper

Bucket

Flint & Steel

Trapdoor

Glass block

Hopper - To make a hopper you will first need to make a chest.

Here we will explain in detail how to build a gold farm in Minecraft. Please follow the instructions carefully.

  1. The first step of this build is to dig a 7 block x 5 block trench 1 block deep.

  2. This is a tall build so make sure you have plenty of room.

  1. Place 7 stone blocks along one edge of your trench and 2 at either end as shown.

  1. Place double chests 1 block out from your stone blocks.

  2. Place hoppers in the gap between the stone block and the chests so that they face the chest (you will need to crouch and place them on the end of the chest).

  3. The chests should stick out 1 block from the stone blocks on the sides.

  1. Place glass blocks above the first half of the chests 5 blocks across by 3 blocks high.

  2. Extend the stone blocks to match the height of the glass blocks leaving a gap above the hoppers.

  1. Continue to build the column just out of stone blocks until it is 25 blocks high.

  2. Make sure you continue to leave the gap above the hoppers.

  1. Now we need to build out from the top of the column, at the opposite side to the chests, by 8 blocks.

  2. Build a wall 4 blocks high on both sides leaving the end open.

  3. The wall needs to cover the side of the hole above the hoppers so will be 10 blocks long.

  1. Build your stone blocks 7 blocks out again (I have added 2 pictures for this one to show both angles as its not straight).

  2. Continue the wall keeping it level at the top (so this section is 3 blocks high).

  1. Build out again by another 6 blocks.

  2. Continue the wall at the same level at the top (so 2 blocks high).

  3. Enclose the end with a 2 block high wall.

  1. At the far end place a bucket of water on each 1st block of the wall so that the water runs to the end but stops before the hole above the hoppers.

  1. Next we need to build our nether portal (this literally is an extra wide portal).

  2. This is built on the left side of the build if you are looking at the build from the chests.

  3. It needs to be 23 blocks wide by 21 blocks deep and 23 blocks high. Make sure to put a wall on the back so that it only opens into your trap.

  1. Place 21 open trapdoors along the front of the obsidian (this stops the piglins escaping back into the nether).

  2. Place a block in the middle of the trap above the water and place trapdoors around the 4 sides and close them.

  1. Using the flint & steel start lighting the nether portals from the back of the obsidian box (careful not to get lost!)

  2. Place the turtle eggs on the top of the block above the water to entice the piglins in to your trap.

  1. As the piglins come out of the portal they are swept through the water to the gap above the hoppers.

  1. The piglins will die on landing on the hoppers.

  1. If you check your chests you will find gold nuggets and rotten flesh have been deposited.

  1. This is the view from the front so that you can see the tiers.

  2. Your build should be now be 23 blocks long.

  1. Fill in all the sides and back so that you have a solid square that opens on to your trap.

  2. Here is a side on view so that you get an idea of the size.

What can go wrong - the water doesn't reach the edge of the trap.

  • Check the build length as the water has to reach the edge for the piglins to drop.

What can go wrong - Piglins not dying on impact.

  • Check the build is the right height otherwise the piglins won't die on impact and you'll have a box full of angry piglins and no gold.

What can go wrong - no piglins appearing.

  • Ensure that you do not have it set up for peaceful.